Installing a Pre-hung Interior Door

Need help with installing a pre-hung interior door? Pre-hung doors are doors that come directly from our Door Shop and are positioned in the door frame. These doors are much easier when it comes to installing, as they are already on hinges and ready to pop right into your rough opening. At Builders Surplus, we offer a large variety of stock pre-hung doors as well as a custom pre-hung line.

When determining what size pre-hung door you are going to need, you will need to rip the old door completely. Down to the studs. When you measure your rough opening, you are going to deduct 2 inches from the width and 2 ½ inches from the height. This will leave you with the pre-hung size of your door.

 

Prehung Interior Door Installation

 

Installing a Pre-hung Interior Door

Once you’ve purchased your door and have it home, the next step is making it level in the rough opening. Not every floor is level, so we’re going to start there. Check your floor and if it isn’t level, cut one side of the door frame along the bottom of the door to even it out. Don’t worry, once the installation is done, it will not be noticeable.

The next step is using shims. A shim is a slim piece of wood used to fill in the gaps where the door isn’t perfectly aligned with the opening. As you look up and down the sides, top, and bottom of the door, place these shims where you see the door is not flush. Using a level and extra set of hands will make this part a lot easier.

Once you have the shims in place and all is even, nail it in. Nailing the door jambs to the rough opening will solidify it into place. And while the door is now in place, it is still an unfinished project. We want to then cover up the sides and top part of our project with moulding; specifically casing.

Picking out a door casing will be the finishing touch and top it all off. Here at Builders Surplus, we offer a range of different styles and sizes for door casings. Once you select the one you like, nail the casing around the door jambs and header. Sink the nail holes and putty them so the nail doesn’t show. Then, paint or stain your casing if you’d like.

 

Your work here is done

Finally, take a step back and admire your work!

For your next interior door, or any home improvement project for that matter, stop by one of our 5 locations! And remember… when value’s a must, shop Builders Surplus!